February 05, 2012

As the world jelously salivates over the swift riches of 'newly' minted Facebook millionaires this week goverments and pundits equally initiate the deafeatist toned debate of why wheir nation doesn't generate companies who generate such grand wealth so quickly.

At the same time is a great series by Jonathan Meades delving into the deep cultural influence of America on France. A deep cultural influence of minimal recognition and even derision. In Fance, as depicted by image above snapped at the museum of technical arts, America is treated as a contained silo rather than pervasive incons and constructs.

On Monday, the world's advertising professionals will dissect Super Bowl advertising. From big idea films, executional excess to integration with the latest trends, theories and technology.

America holds an exceptional outward cultural force. One few acknowledge and seems perceptually diminished at a time of more deft footed foreign policy.

Cuturally, America remains by far the planet's greatest force. Yet, fascinatingly, so few nations can shed their nationalistic pathways and mentalities to learn or at least take on the attitude of necessary calculated risk acceptance inbred in America's "ever forward at all cost" mentality.

There are some great ads playing out tonight online and on TV. Worth a moment to think less about the tools they use or celebrity they hired and more about the mentality that enabled the best stuff.

December 20, 2011

It seems there are new battle lines drawing up in the world of advertising. Simplisticly, they followed a journey that went like this:

1. Model A is no longer relevant. It is replaced by Model B.

2. Oh wait. Actually, we didn't move from A to B, but now models A though Z can work.

3. Hold on, all that stuff in Model A still works. I did some of that Model B and then M stuff, not sure if it was any different or better. So Model A still works and is therefore the focus of most efforts supplemented with a smattering of other stuff.

4. No, you didn't actually ever commit to B nor anything one thing C through Z. Actually, you tried to do them all, at the same time, badly. Just as I can buy personalised Nike I want personalised ads. Stuff for me, only when I want it where I want it. This is the post industrial mass advertising revolution damn it. Don't you get it? A revolution!!!

And there you have it. Two factions lined up behind Stage 3 or Stage 4. It's not communism, or socialism nor even anarchy. In fact, it looks a lot like the US Democrat Vs. Republican divide. Two parties closely fighting every election collectively representing most of the country.

One for big government, the other for small government. One about the individuals, the other about the macro economy.

Each are a system of governing. Each with different values, personalities, divergent self interest and ways of working. Both kind of do the same but to different ends through different means yet still with a lot of overlap at the macro level.

If I was creating a business from scratch today I would almost certainly look to work in a way aligned with point 4. That would be so fun.

If I was handed one brand/category in a conglomerates portfolio of brands in a commodity category used by 75% of a country's population and no discernible beneficial historic perceived differentiation or spastic inconsistency I would probably align with Point 3. Can still do some amazing stuff such as what 98% of Old Spices activity is, stuff under Point 3. I would try to do Point 3 really brilliantly and break all the rules inside that model as much as I can get away with inside the machine of super conglomerate company culture.

I like them. Partly because some stand the test of time and others are rather philisophical statements around how to approach the type of work that seems to increasingly work really well. Specifically the importance of teams working together, being agile with each other and egalitarian.

These principles don't guarantee great work but are a great way to work. In this day and age it also problably creates more and more of the great work out there. Presumably.

October 18, 2011

I am rather proud of how Lauren, Mark, Jason and James have grabbed the event, stayed true to its ethos, while enlivening each year. This year, found a new venue, brought in some other great volunteers.

I was rather gutted not to be there. They again humoroured me and asked for a video to participate from abroad.

I am not an innately interesting person, hence why I first organized the event to celebrate other people's interestingness. Nonetheless, rather than just say hi the obligation to attempt interestingness led me to ramble about something increasingly of personal interest:

Unreasonable people.

I like unreasonable people, because unreasonable people do unreasonable things.

This doesn't mean they are rude, nasty or hatful. In fact, many are lovely, warm and compassionate people. Though that's not always the rule.

Rather, as a rule they all don't do the reasonable and usual thing.

For those there last Friday, following is the promsied links/notes. For those not there, the video will be up eventually on interestingvancouver.com, but you’re probably better off watching the good speakers.

Walter Bornnetti

- Reasonable people don’t accomplish unreasonable feats

- Especially when it comes to climbing mountains, cliffs and hanging glaciers, never climbed before, with traditional gear

- Luxury architect, who in his motorcycle fetish uniform and black leather pants 365 he designs the most striking retail spaces of our time

- Even if you do not buy into luxury goods, when in Tokyo, Paris or Milan steal the experience of walking into his shops (Dior, Louis Vuitton, Ermengildo Zegna, etc) for overwhelming luxe

Woody Allen

- Some say it's unreasonable he still gets to make movies

- Watch Midnight in Paris his recent film worth it because of his amusing depiction of Earnest Hemingway

- Few have more consistently written such striking and true, yet accessible prose as he, much is being revealed as the Cuban government opens up his final studio. Read The Paris Wife or Vanity Fair's tale of first expeditions to his work

September 30, 2011

Teen targeted creative is tough. Always has been. Less to do with short attention spans or some hackneyed assumption like that. More because of how obsessive teens get about something they like and satisfyingly fueling that obsession.

Many times on teen work to frame the creative/strategy with clients or internal teams we'd first talk about just how obsessive you get about stuff when you are young - when you're not sure about yourself and figuring out your place in the world. That hat, that car, the dance, a new track, the skate deck, Walkman/Diskman/iPod, the game that weekend or whatever else that consumed every non studying moment of your life. Total bloody obsession.

Thinking whether something was obsessible helped make better work rather than something superficially, ahem, "cool."

As people get older they forget what it was like to be so obsessed about thing. We forget the feeling, in your gut, front of the brain, of obsessing. Reading and re-reading the magazine, replaying the song, logging into some form of email. Over and over again.

As a child I obsessed about making stuff - specifically drawing comic strips or clay superhero figurines. However, I never had the tools to do it well. I had a great upbringing but it just wasn't in the family culture (engineers, lawyers, etc) to buy specialized art supplies. But still, I obsessed,and tried, badly, to draw comics and attempt figures of Flash. It just never worked out.

I worry with so many lame and formulaic "social engagement" campaigns and the lazyness of BuddyMedia type tactical tool we are turning away from so much potential never before available.

I love that kids, and everyone else, today can obsess and get so deep into their obsessions to actually make stuff with a possibility to make it great because there are so many tools at finger tips. I love that.

This Coke Zero Make It Possible thing seems kind of cool in that regard. It's not another lazy be in our commercial as an idea because there actual is no idea. It is an outlet for obsession with dance or music. I like that. A lot.

September 28, 2011

The word revolution is regularily frivolously used. Especially in advertising. However, no matter the hyperbole revolutions do happen. Rarely though do they come to a finite end. Sure a regime may be toppled but the values and philosophies of the revolution morph the moment what the revolution revolted against dissolves. Often the instigating revolutionairies are left behind.

A book on wine was the last place to expect insight into revolutions. Noble Rot detailing the dramatic changes in Bordeaux going from over priced garbage wine in glut to high priced low supply high quality was painful for many, instigated by a few, at the mercy of large global forces.

The author William Echikson sums up the Bordeaux revolution, and all other revolutions, quite nicely.

"Bordeaux's revolution was coming to a close. Most monumental political, economic, and social changes overstep and devour their instigators, provoking an almost inevitable reaction. The comings years looked tough for Bordeaux. Many garage wineries would close up. Many ambitious new wavers might well go bankrupt. Even the well-established estates also looked set to struggle... ...But the rovolution's work would leave a positive legacy."

September 07, 2011

Every country has things they say that are said so often nobody realizes really they are saying them all the time. They in fact are little codes that evolve a language to a social group. To outsiders their repetition stands out and sparks curiosity. Following are a bunch of things I've noticed people say a lot. All lovely little words or phrases. Might start using them a bit more:

Whilst

Boring

Please

Proper

Populist

Ambition

Golden Ticket

Who's to blame

Great British... (pub, cheese, bunting, ale, hound, etc)

yallrite (Translation: Hello. Are you alright and is everything good today?)

August 30, 2011

One of the many special experiences living in Paris was getting to know, and in a way grow up with, the team at the restaurant Spring. A small kitchen putting out a simple dinner nightly. Suddenly they are one of the most heralded and internationally acclaimed restaurants in Paris. While becoming the NYT's Paris poster-children is great for them what I really loved how they became part of the culture of their little nighbourhood as told by this video.

Lots of little shops I frequented to and from the Spring boutique or waiting for someone to join for a glass of wine. The ancient presse guy mostly. Stirs my nostalgia for his nostalgia. I'd explore this neighbourhood often with the uninhibited spirit of curiosity an expat in Paris becomes endlessly adicted to.

One of the reasons I loved living in Paris was studying first hand the fabrics of rich and deep communities. Understand what makes a real community from people that have loved and hated each other for centuries. Living myself as part of a small multi block neighbourhood where inhabitants, businesses, local government (even for my sub, sub, micro, sub region of Paris), community organizations, unions, busybodies, the three homeless people, my barber, the team of youths who hanging out late night at the local Place St. Lazarre, prefecture police, the weekend CRS riot police visits and our street cleaners served a inter-related and mutually respected (with continuous paradoxical distrusted) community.

Mostly, I loved seeing how an individual business seeped into the fabric of the immediate neighbourhood. Most businesses in the developed world have become little more than the immediate square footage of their retail outlet and maybe a bit of a contrived "community" activities department to help "strengthen bonds" with local community through a few activities outlined in the binder from head office.

One day I will open a retail entity but I am not too sure exactly what it will sell. I'm actually not too worried about "what" just yet. What I observed, noted and lived in Paris was individual businesses as cultural entities - that is much more interesting. Proprietors whose existence seeps beyond the walls of a lease and deep into the pores of the local neighbourhood and more deeply into the fields, factories and workshops of the producers.

A great business strengthens the community every day through what it does as a mainline pursuit driven by the humans behind it.

I learned a lot about this by getting to know the team at the restaurant Spring. Though they suddenly have become THE restaurant in town it is actually a very simple place. You just come, sit down and have dinner. No menu, no fuss, just brilliantly aligned to the seasons and what intrigues the chef Daniel at any given moment or a surprise dropped off by a local supplier. Better, go the the wine boutique for a great recommendation from 8€ to a modest mortgage. It's all very real without being REALtm - without the obligatory chalkboard and heritage furniture, vintage tea spoons, typwriter in the window or irnonic anything.

August 19, 2011

Last Friday an internet worm hole opened up landing me in Shoreditch of East London. A "Bloggers Drinks" event instigated by the presence of The Kaiser himself - Marcus Brown.

I have internet known Marcus for about 5 - ish years - amidst all his extensive commenting, conspiring and publishing enable by the power of the internet.

It was about time our paths crossed in the analogue world. Partially to snuff my curiosity whether he really exists or is an elaborate post-digital trans-media ARG narrative invented and curated by an idiot savant holed up somewhere deep in the axis of evil.

In fact, Marcus exists, and refreshingly was just as one would exist. There were discussions of Bubble Bobble, meta-media, trans-gender-media, jukebox functionality and WAM respectfully. The Truman's Beer at Ten Bells was brillaint.

It is always fun meeting folks you know from the internet, like chatting with someone you grew up with for a period in life. You have mutual reference points and a shared interest. It only gets weird when someone inevitably mentions how weird it is - which was Marcus' one obvious fault.

August 18, 2011

Back in the halcyon days of blogging and the fraternity of the web I did a series called retro craft week when going on vacation or feeling lazy. It celebrated the great craftspeople who make great things - and have for a long time before the world of 11's and 00's.

In that spirit here is a video of Walt Disney introducing the multi-plan camera and how it gives cartoons three dimensions.

August 12, 2011

Walking through London streets this week a plywood magnate must cautiously smile. Though certainly not with pleasure. Jogging the 6 miles from Fitzrovia to our temporary home in Chiswick Tuesday, the night after wide-spread violence, streets were vacant but for police officers and crews boarding up shops with fresh plywood.

From the small independent shops who form social fabric to the corporate behemoth Universal records who form culture - scale and ownership structures didn't matter for rioters looking to steal and destroy. Up went the defensive plywood on shops big and small.

The pundits, academics and politicians are promptly stating grand theories and reasoning while jockeying for air time and headlines. Sensational videos aside, the stories from average people in the wrong place at the wrong time are compelling for the insightful balance of terror and calm. Mixed with the odd voice of reason from surprising places, such as Russell Brand in The Guardian, enlighten the truth and complexity behind what the riots are symptomatic of.

As with most things increasingly are these days, the causes and fixes are too complex for a snappy headline, overly crafted slogan or simplistic reductionistic PowerPoint slide. And while theories are of necessity one must recognise we are in an age of learning new social behaviours. Hundreds of kids filmed knowingly by CCTV camera, hovering police helicopters, roving news helicopters and their friend's Facebook Feeds partake in criminal behaviour leaving a trail of unprecedented evidence.

While every nation has its ills, England in all truth is on a relative basis a comfortable place to live. As the rioters wearing 100£ trainers transmitted photos and plans to each other on their smart phones the layers of cognitive dissonance stack high.

It is a great time to park theorisation of the events and observe evolving behaviours at a broader level.

When friend's iPhone photos become evidence in court leading to a conviction does it induce more law abiding behaviour or make image capturing events socially unacceptable?

Does the public shaming of 'thieves' on the front pages form a more effective deterrence and form of justice or an enticement for fame?

Does the mix of class and race rioting shoulder to shoulder (and today line up one after another in courts) reinfice and tear apart multi-cultural unity?

Brands, who love to talk about how much they are loved must wonder what they have done. Are the really loved? Is it love if someone goes to the extent of breaking the law to get their hands on a product for free or the greatest disrespect when one will go to great length to not part with their own money in exchange for it?

August 10, 2011

After three and a half weeks in London, it is clear it is a great time to be in advertising.

Not for all the reasons well paid agency executives like to plod out as a facade of optomism. You know, the 'never been so much creativity and innovation about, we can do anything...' line.

No, what is great is that walking around SOHO, talking to people at agencies here and abroad, heads are down working.

Not conferencing, parading as gurus, whinging or penning another article claiming the death of something.

Nope, the smart people are just getting on with it. Taking the brilliant principles of creativity mastered by Mr. Bernbach & Co. and matching it with the robust body of knowledge of digital (couple decades worth of info now) and social (a very productive 10 years) along with all the other theories and stuff to make smart stuff that is interesting and works.

Yes, a lovely time to be in our business. Right, time to get on with it.

July 16, 2011

Today is my last as a resident of Paris. A day that closes two chapters of my life. One chapter living and working in Paris - an extraordinary place. The second and more significant chapter being nearly nine years at DDB ending.

Tonight, stepping onto the platform at London's St. Pancras Station, with my wife, will be the first time I walk on British ground as a resident. Though I have always been a citizen it will now also be a home.

On Monday I begin at Saatchi & Saatchi London working on a pan-Euro brand to be shared later. Of course, I would not step across the well worn Nothing is Impossible granite entry tile if it were not for a superb role with a great team and superb leadership.

Admittedly it is with heavy heart but a deliberate choice to leave DDB - time will tell if it is a permanent breakup - but it is the right decision at this time personally and professionally.

I have given a lot of me to DDB and it has given much back exponentially. An infinitely appreciated return entirely at the hands of the people I was fortunate to work with. Most particularly the folks in Vancouver, Toronto, Chicago, London and Buenos Aires. They truly hold up to the Bernbach-ism of Talented But Nice.

Our stay in Paris was not as long as originally intended, but leaps of this type in today's environment come with high degrees of uncertainty. As expected it was tough, and while gaining the respect of the French at one of Paris' most Parisian of agency is rather challenging it is superlatively rewarding once gained. We leave having grown as people (yes, I know that sounds lame but its true) and fallen in love with a city and the far reaches of France. We will be back, repeatedly. Not a moment of regret for uprooting from a comfortable gig in North America and I greatly appreciate the DDB Paris team for bringing me in.

To close my DDB life it seemed right to celebrate the work I felt most fortunate to be a part of. I don't generally like talking about my work but I thought it the best way to thank those I worked with on these and every other campaigns totaling over 200 creative and effectiveness awards. This primarily is for those whom I sadly know didn't receive my personal note last month. Sorry about that, but still, thank you. That goes for you too Mr. and Mrs. Clients whom are equally intertwined with all this.

Right then, now, if you are in London - stay tuned for our "Patriation Celebration" coming this fall and some other endeavors for 2012.

Favorite Creative I Was Fortunate to be a Part of and the Shiny Things Most Appreciated:

1. ICBC CounterAttack - (New York Festivals United Nations Award) Firstly it was rewarding to stem, after over a decade of decline, a recent increase in drunk driving accidents. Secondly it was flattering to see a certain car maker and agency in Colorado land of a rather similar execution. Oh and one of the first viral sensations and Canadian ad to break 1 million YouTube views - an impressive number back in 2005 before there was such a thing as "viral style" to ads.

2. The Weakshop- (Cassies best of Show 2010 & 2011) A real product line and retail entity devised for people who don't drink enough to get them to drink more milk. It did that and the hyper-integrated / transmedia / mulit-platform or whatever you want to call it proved the possible incremental gains of not relying on TV. Interestingly, at the Canadian Cassis last year it won be of show as digital films. This year, the same creative was re-edited and ran on TV winning TV best of show.

3. Stolen Car Show - (2004 Cyber Lion) A car show that never happened but for Miss Stolen Car Show to encourage teens to use anti-theft devices. Included through blog characters and MSN Messenger auto-response program what people today call a "social media strategy."

4. Youth Against Gang Violence - (Media innovation awards & CMA gold integrated) A labour of love to combat what tore at us the most about the city we loved - its drug trade and gang violence touching every social strata.

5. Midas Chase - (the 2009 One Show Gold Broadcast Pencil, FailBlog) A campaign to sell winter tires that would never have happened if we didn't propose and succeed in re-investing usage royalties to head office and develop creative based on national insight. This is the campaign I am most proud of and enjoyed the most developing through all the usual hurdles and challenges.

6. Lipton Ice Tea Tokyo Hotel - (Euro Effie Finalist) The reason for my most to Paris and like most international tranfers in advertising they don't bring you in because everything is great and running smoothly. The dancing however, is sharp...

June 15, 2011

Recently I read a book by Patricia Wells (go ahead and snicker) who covered restaurants for the NY Times and other publications in the 80's during the rise of Nouvelle Cuisine in France, and ultimately the world. A manifesto espousing fresh ingredients and simple preparations was published as the chefs behind the movement practiced the commandments in their kitchens.

However, she noted that the first few years of this new "movement" started to get silly. Once the backlash of 40$ for two steamed asparagus stalks peaked, the fluff was culled and the real innovation started. The creativity in cooking returned to what was on the plate not the idea of eating something called Nouvelle Cuisine.

It feels, I hope, we have passed the silly phases of digital (wave 1: 1997 to 2000, Wave 2: 2003 to 2006) and social (2007 to 2010) and we are getting down to ideas that inherently are good and interesting that use technology but the ideas remain the master. Rather than ideas to the master of technology.

With this though, here are a bunch of things I like at the moment:

Jay-Z Decoded

Yes, it has been covered a lot and won loads of trophies, but it amazes me more don't talk about how remarkably they blended a book about urban culture with urban culture so seamlessly and credibly.

While sex sells everywhere few places allow advertising to be as sexy as France. While a bit of a gimmick to get you to watch more and share it hits the point, refreshes a long running campaign idea and makes me maybe want to see what happens. Love it's not just a "extended" edit of a TVC or lazy "you choose the ending" bollocks.

First and foremost a musician's first field of creativity is music itself. While the promotion is important bands are superbly great for letting others be creative with the other stuff. As album covers, music videos and concerts are well mined fields it is cool to see the very economic model be open for creativity. WK gets big ups for the totality of the endeavor - a transmedia initiative that is so much more than and meaningful than just take a bunch of characters from a TV ad and give them profiles online (aka 'Lost' Syndrome)

A simple idea that does what many have tried - to use iTunes as a medium itself. Again, an ad agency (mine in fact at DDB Paris) is behind this one.

Pepsi, Pepsi 10

I like that Pepsi is getting closer to innovation. Causing it not talking about it. However, it feels like their object is to be closer to innovation and be able to say the world trans-formative a lot. Being on the cutting edge isn't an end, but a means to an end whatever it might be. While small $10,000 grants is a start that some may scoff at - kudos for Pepsi doing what many brands just talk about.

While the genre of "take something from the oline/mobile world and do it in the real world, film it, post a video online" genre does seem overly pervasive/tired few have the right and credibility as T-Mobile to keep rocking it. Fewer, rock it this well.

June 14, 2011

It has become fashionable to "fail fast," "let go of control," "embrace failure" or whatever aphorism you like. But to most it is just fashionable to say but not so much practice this philosphy in practice. Not because they are cowards but they don't really understand to what end failure is required in a world where being wrong or off 0.03% is punished mercilessly by the markets.

Recently, Conan, a wonderful recent failure, said this at Dartmouth's graduation:

"It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique. ... Whether you fear it or not, disappointment will come. The beauty is that through disappointment you can gain clarity, and with clarity comes conviction and true originality."

Each individual on a brand has a perceived ideal of what it should be. Usually this is based in some way on what it is. A few may have a vision of what it could be or might be.

This vision of what it could be will be at odds with the former group entrenched in what it should be. Unless, they are open to something original and better. However, inherently that means something they think is wrong or at best is not right enough. That is okay, if they are okay with crushing their personal ideal. If they are not, expect more of the same. The same results if they are lucky. Diminishing results more likely. The tragedy of becoming one's percevied ideal.

June 03, 2011

It is an old adage that everythign commmunicates, whether you intend to or not.

But, in many ways this has become limited as everything changes so much and so frequently. Or at least we perceive it to.

Consequently, things that last become mundane and of low communication value, in case something changes tomorrow.

But, if something is designed to last, even just a few years, it can be used in helpful and elegant ways. Even something like a plate can be informative, suggestive and environmentally responsible by avoiding the need of another surface to need to be bought, printed and handed out.

Sadly, the above was just a "retro" design, yet enduring in its asthetic intrigue and a whistful sense of longing for it to be usable today. But, in a time where everyone is falling over themselves to be just in time, there is something confident and remarkable about being timeless.

May 23, 2011

While the internet and rolling 24hr news channels did what they do best - breathly moment by moment updates on what is happenning, the dailies and weeklies in France did what they do best - provide context, colour and the big picture analysis of what happened.

A man is facing prospect of trial. The media has put the world's coverage of the situation on trial, so to the American Justice system, the French justice system, the IMF, the Socialist Party, a nations view's on privacy and the behavior of powerful old men. All brought to life in words and illustration.

May 06, 2011

The internet for the past 40 years has exacerbated this. Tangible and especially heightening our impression of everything accelerating.

We have now acheived real time essentially. Get information instantly. Transmit and complete tasks instantly. Manufacture new products faster than trends can support them.

The next leap will be some form of reshaping time and space. Till then we have essentially acheived 'peak now.'

Till the our scientists get cracking and figure it out, we should celebrate the acheivement of nowness, and move past the acheivement of instanst life.

It is a good time to think about long term implications of instnantaneous everything. I love this Google film emotively highlighting a life of instantaneousness. Figure out how it can do things better, not just differently.

Just as globalization economically is delivering diminishing returns and returning to tighter geographical and cultural roots is paying greater returns (eg. McDonalds localizing menus in no-markets) how will we deal with peak now when it comes to consumer content and interacting with people we know and entities like brands, governments and associations.

This is bigger than a regectionist group like Slow movements (though they are certainly symptomatic) but a slow reframing of how we deal with information. As news cycles are essentially hours if not minutes down from days or weeks not too long ago how will we seek meaning over information. Meaningful comprehension of complex situations. Rich storytelling that compels when you already 'know.'

May 01, 2011

In the middle of hundreds of thousands of socialists, communists, lenninist, unionists and others this guy stompted on the hood of his Triumph and rocked.

There is something visceral and I love about the energy of manifestations in France. People giving a damn and taking to the streets. It also feels in some ways like a time past. People now have other options to inspire and instill change. This guy did feel like a time before I was born when rock and roll was the voice of disent.

The crowd tends to be older at these manifestions, 50 something. I was in Prague in 2000 during the IMF protests/riots- I was 23 and many others seemed about my age. Maybe it feels old on the street because the youth are at home doing change rather than walking down the street yelling about change. More likely, as with most things in our frangmenting world the new and the old are equally important to moving forward.

April 20, 2011

It was just the other night when interacting with a police office, it occurred to me that I had become fully French. Was doing things once unthinkable for me.

While there is a curiously large genera of generic and boring books by Anglos complaining about all things France, I moved here to experience first hand all things French.

While I will never be French by blood, some major milestones seem to have quietly passed indicating adopting French-ness in my way of being.

- When a police officer lectures me not to ride my bike the wrong way down a street rather than apologize as a polite Canadian should I respond challengingly with comment? (a sarcastic version of WHAT?) and inform him the signage needs to be improved and it is his duty to do so to protect the safety off people such as I.

- Sometimes I will now walk two steps into the street, then look up at what traffic is coming.

- I will discuss with my fromagier between the Brie Mieux and the Brie Melun which is more in season and whether any come close to the superior Coloummiers (which is made but a few KMs away.)

- When my frommagier refuses to cut my Coloummiers into quarters I don't quietly accept the half, I keep asking "C'est pas possible?" maybe throwin in a shrug or two until he relents and quickly cuts in down to the desired size.

- Find 8pm a normal time to be at the office, but locked out if arriving at 8am.

- Believe a one hour lunch is a right and 2 hours acceptable but feel guilt when eating at my desk for disrespecting the food I eat.

- Will drink a glass of wine at lunch (not daily, but sometimes...)

- Consider champagne perfectly acceptable for a weeknight without need of an occasion or the belief it is in any way decadent. Simple appropriate for what we are eating.

- Will fight to the death that a grape growth on one side of a hill versus the other will yeild a better wine, intrinsically not because of artificial snootiness.

- Have a drawer of scarves for every season. Never leaving home without one.

- Despite 20 moto-scooters and swarms of zooming cars will put nose in the air and cycle directly accross any roundabout (Opera, Bastille, Republique, etc. ) knowing I have the right of way and confidence everyone will allow passage. They will only honk or cut you off upon your hesitation. (Never hesitate.)

French culture and society is impressively strong and set in its ways. Bless them for it. It is what I love about them. It is what makes the country what it is. Gives a profound identity and shorthand for what France and the French are all about. A strength indentity and conviction most countries lack, all countries would kill for.

April 10, 2011

With the early arrival of summer sun and the scheduled annual return of tourist flocks this weekend was a good time to explore unexplored parts of Paris.

This city, while maddening at times just as frequently offers elements that comprise the best of urban living. At the top of the list of brilliance is Velib’, the now much duplicated bike sharing scheme.

The Velib’ system and my scan card were reason to arrange an adventure. While Paris is about 8 intimate KMs across, the circumference was a mystery to me, much because of the fortress of automotivity La Periphique. A modern fortress wall ringing the city.

The mission was simple, circle the outermost reaches of the city. The areas many cross but few notice. An exercise in nothing more than fulfilling curiosity. Tracked by reapplying the app Skitracks.

Stage 1

La Tour de Paris started with a short Prologue from home to the dry cleaner. Just to get the legs going and complete a quick chore

Stage 2

From my cleaner near Centre Pompidou the second stage finished at Bercy Park. Once the sprawling wine warehouse district it was “modernized” in the 90’s to a centre of chain restaurants and dull shops.

Stage 3

The charm of Paris was abruptly lost as the Eastern edges of the city host heavy industry on the banks of La Seine. Home to the plants, that make the aggregates, that make the foundation on top of which the gorgeous zinc bars of St. Germain sits so confidently.

Stage 4

A comforting return to Haussmann fingerprints as 6 story buildings stand at attention lining the boulevards. This stage finished dramatically at the ancient book market where I furthered my collection of old original sports photography and journals.

Some amazing shots from 1927 to 1929 editions of Le Mirior des Sports.

This was also the first feeding station as heralded baker Poilân has one of their three shops here in this most distant of outposts where vendors wonder how you discovered them.

Stage 5

One of the longest stages along the massive boulevard housing the above ground tram, its lawn and superb vacant bike lanes. Great cruising right across the Western reaches of La Seine.

Stage 6

Where Bois de Vincennes on the East side is the classy park, Bois de Boulogne on the West of the city up against the ritziest of neighbourhoods is certainly the sleazy older brother. Renown for the peering eyes of prostitutes lining the forest edges.

Stage 7

The first mountain stage, climbing behind Montmartre was unremarkable except for the vibrant Turkish neighbourhood at the end serving as the second feeding stop. The Turkish lemon soda that seemed to be a good idea, was a bad idea.

Stage 8

While one almost always feel truly safe anywhere in Paris this is the one area you are likely a bit on edge. Housing tenements, shoeless prostitutes and homeless men guzzling 1 Euro bottles of wine over Backgammon atop carbord box tables. The forgotten corners of Paris.

Stage 9

From the upper-right reaches on the well redeveloped canals of Port de Villette the second mountain stage with long long stretches of ripped up boulevards and car chocked roads.

Le Fin

While hundreds heavily armed riot police keep casual eye on a protest it was time to conclude they way many things end, or start in France. Avec une verre de champagne.

So, that was the inaugural Tour de Paris. If you come to Paris on vacation there certainly are better things to do. If you want to see the unknown parts of Paris on the most low performance but high style bikes going, well I can only say “bonne courage.” You will finds markets no book writes about, thriving ethnic communities and quaint neighbourhoods that seem worlds away from the centrall masses of Paris.

1970's - TCP/IP (protocol that connects computers allowing them to "talk" to each other)

1962 - ARPANET, precursor to "internet" first existed conceptually in an academic paper

It is often amazing to step back and look at how old many of the "new" things in marketing and communications are now. Yet, there is an attitude we still are figuring them out. That they are "new media" and just give it a fling and see what happens. Failures are okay.

It is a bit of a lazy attitude.

By reverse logic it is like saying we are still figuring out TV given the fact failures still make it to air.

Failures under the guise of newness are not okay. Risk taking on account of what is possible, certainly is okay.

We are at a new point of maturity where we are familiar, generally, with all the new tools and channels. However, we are just as susseptible to the amazing. Maybe increasingly more so as "average", "hackney" and "mediocre" invade more and more parts of our lives. Attack us from more and more angles.

Interestingly, 1962 the year the first inclings of the internet was being formed was also the year Think Small, first hit magazines. The ad that many link to the initiation of the Creative Revolution. A war still being faught every day on every front in every medium.

Just interesting to think that the first steps of the creative revolution took place the first days of a global telecommunications network. They really are brothers in arms.

March 09, 2011

Here is what Shouttr is all about, as explained to a few people I directly asked to maybe help make it happen:

I am a pretty positive person, but sometimes I can get frustrated, discouraged or disapointed. It is the nature of what we do, and if you care about what you do it probably happens to you too.

I loved the anonymity of early days of social networks. Amongst many things you could say anything, cause nobody was there but a few like minded folks, but now stuff easily gets taken out of context because one's audience is too diverse.

Plus nobody swears like they do in real life, except the odd person just for effect. It can be cathartic, I am sure science proves this somewhere, or should. But the back channels are no longer appropriate. My mother might find out, amongst other people.

I want to create Shouttr.com, a place you can vent. Say whatever you want. Anonymously.

Just an input field to enter important things like F**K F**K F******G D**N S**T F**K. UX primatively consisting of a SHOUT button to submit and a stream of past SHOUTS. Maybe just noting time and date. Geo tag would be nice but not necessary for launch. No profiles, no following.

One could even use it for something positive, maybe you are someone too humble to boast, but really want to shout about something great you did, to someone, anyone and but noone in particular who might catch you. (FYI, swearing is not mandatory.)

Of course, no hate speak. Just good clean venting, out into the voide. Using the power of anonymity to make oneself feel better. SHOUTTING feels like Rocky @ 3"57 .

Drop me a note or comment below if you can help. Feel free to nominate other people. The domain with a trying too hard cleaver typo is registered. Just need to make it.

February 24, 2011

February 18, 2011

Am working on a creative brief at the moment. Enjoying the usual grappling with all the questions and tensions needed for any brief. Not a big deal except for the fact it will be the only brief I am a part of this year. Still an adjustment from working on many briefs in a year, some by me some helping others get to a great one.

Being the one, the singular brief of the year, is scary. Induces giving much thought around how to make it the best damn possible brief to ensure the creative output is naturally as awesome as possible. Another adjustment is not being the planner, so not officially in charge of the "strategy," but certainly not any less responsible for it.

When preparing a brief we often make a lot of decisions that dramatically affect the outcome of the brief. Partly what goes into the brief, but how we get to what goes into the brief and why. Decisions, outside the normal brief or agency "process" that lead to just another brief or an exceptional legendary brief. Decisions, often seeming so routine that while focused on what goes into the brief we lose sight of why, by who, and when.

The why, who and when are ultimately core strategic decisions, about how you get to a good strategy, or brief, or the thing that makes clear and inspiring what needs to be done which may or may not be written in a standard agency template form.

While the endless pursuit of smarter insights is an essential obsession and necessity, increasingly a successful brief is layered with solid thinking around an architecture surrounding the heart of insight.

An architecture that deeply and rigorously understands the context of the media (ways in which people will touch, see or feel whatever it is we make) and the cross interactions within that media infrastructure (aka. culture.)

However, what is desperately of concern that gets little consideration often is what we prepare around the core architecture of the brief and how people get to, contribute to and work with the brief.

Specifically:

1. Who is going to get the brief when if first comes through the door from client?

2. Who will work on contributing to getting to a great brief and when?

3. Who will then get briefed to solve the brief and who will help blow out the solution to the brief? When will the later happen, and why?

A lot of "who"s.

Essentially a strategy for how you will get to a great strategy. And a strategy for how that strategy will lead to a great outcome.

A lot of strategy, yes, I know it's not cool to use that word any more. But really it just means a well thought out plan for how you will get to a great solution.

When a who is identified it is too easy to avoid asking why. Because every agency has an increasing number of "Director of Something or the Other" it is an easy trait to throw these folks at everything without clarity of why. You need them, but why and when?

Especially important as the disciplines of our little marketing world recouple, often bringing different agencies together.

It is a great problem of our time, what is the right strategy to get to a great strategy that can lead to a great solution to a business problem.

February 09, 2011

My mom sends me links. Okay, not not by email or some internet tool like Delicious, but articles cut out of her analog newspaper and mailed to me in France.

It is not a new behavior, growing up she would hand me the paper and tell me to read it. When I wnt off to university the good folks at US Postal Service passed the articles on to me. Then, back it he same city but my own residence she would build them up and every time we met a small package of clippings was always passed on.

Tools of delivery changed but behavior has never wavered.

Now, despite my never ended steam of news and articles there are few I love and devour more eagerly than my inter-family diplomatic pouch that arrives every fortnight thanks to France Poste.

I don't want her to stop. I love the effort and things that my mom sends only because she think I might like it. So pure. Not because she wants to be a influencer or show people how cool she is by what she likes. Just a sincere sharing of what she thought I might appreciate. So motherly. So sincere.

Articles these days tend to be about:

- Recommendation of places in Paris or London (place I spend a lot of time)

- Articles on the advertising world of Canada

-Things about friends of mine or people I grew up with

- An interesting bit about the business of sport (side interest of mine)

- Tips on raising plants (we are a family of people who seemingly growing things)

So, I thought it would be nice for me to share these pure, un-tampered links with the world. It is a neat idea. I might get around to making it. Till then the articles are safely kep in a small envelope.

February 03, 2011

Off to play some music in sychronicity. Bass for one and violin the other.

Watching an episode of Jersey Shore (in French subtitles) sharing equally earphones and some quality popular MTV culture.

While sporting matching Nike AF1s sharing the bond of social status.

Being French they were united by a deep, heated and well informed political and metaphysical debate over the meaning of Snookie and the presumed promiscuity of all American women. In particular the cadre known as sorority girls.

Just a couple of brothers, who may not be related by blood, doing what brothers do.

January 27, 2011

It was the first sport I every did properly, at two years old. Then became progressively a regular activity, a consumption, an obsession, and then ultimately led to an education and my first profession which later put me into my current profession.

My relationship with skiing has never really entered my mind until recently. It would be what you call a passion. Though for a lot of more recent time been hidden. I have not always loved it, at times hated it, but it has always been what I do and the circumstances around me enabled me to do so. Nonetheless, it has greatly shaped me and I am increasingly grateful for this fact.

This year, for the first time in my life, I went on a ski vacation. Two weeks dedicated to skiing. Sure I have skied over 200 days in single years, skied in every month of the year and travelled to places without a competitive or professional objective to just ski, freely. But this was different, a real ski vacation with no obligation, two weeks in the mountains when the mountains are no longer close. Skiing for the joy of it, the challenge and the ancillary activities were the focus.

Breaking out of the routine of the sport and thinking about its significance, to me, personally, has been really valuable over the past couple weeks. There is something physically about being in the mountains that rejuvenates. There is something mental that puts pieces in order.

In many ways how I ski now, and probably always was, an allegory for life. I no longer do any of the skiing I used to, that be running race courses, but still enjoy freeskiing the groomed runs. However, I am drawn more and more to the investment of hiking off to an untouched peak or couloir. Not so much to conquor but more for the process of analysing where to go, and the journey to get there with the perpetual risk analysis of the cliffs, cornices and glaciers underfoot. The reward is the all consuming journey down the pitch spotted from afar, executing the planned turns but reacting to the snow and slide conditions that change with every turn.

I came to the mountains to think and have come away with a clear embracing of a need to pursue challenge and pursue risk, but smart risk, it as much of what I do every day as possible. It is easy to lose in the day to day professional world where the cult of rationalization removes risk, therefore the reward. Ultimately, when we perform a sport we are hoping to channel a sense of greatness, accomplishing something new or overcoming a fear (be it risk of falling, injury or embarrassment.) This is a healthy drive. A drive I see and hear from many skiers, regardless their ability from first timer to top ranked in the world.

It has been a great trip. Personally, accomplished a lifelong obsession of skiing the Chamonix Valley and in particlar the legendary Vallee Blanch.

It was also a visit to the past, catching old team mates, athletes I onced coached and many good current friends at a Skier-X World Cup in Les Contamines. Gave them hugs and hi-fives, while today I see how they are doing at the X-Games in Aspen - if they win, clearly the boost of my precense made the difference. Clearly.

It has been good, very good couple weeks. Something in spirit to continue for the year. Skiing is who I am, what I do, and everytime I go a reminder of what I want to be. That is good. Nothing too deep and philisophical, just fun and fulfilling. Nothing more.

January 24, 2011

You have probably Noticed a lot of articles of late looking at different stages of "digital" things and how people jumped on board expecting a panacea. Currently the "participation" model is under heavy review. The baby is mid toss out with the bath water.

An article today from Tim Malbon is particularily well argued. Arturate. True, and something to hold up in the mirror.

But, and this is a big but, are we not missing the bigger point? Not because they are wrong. The smart folks writting these articles, no, they are very right. They need to be read.

But, are we not debating ultimately, regardless of the medium, what is great versus crap? Are we not finding that the "participation" world, like every other world, is based on being insightful, interesting and truely in touch with the consumer? Just doing it doesn't really do it.

It is cool now to talk about Old Spice and the 48 hour thing they did. But, it is rarely discussed why they did what many other brands could have done, but didn't. Like when the first mile was run under 4 minutes, quickly many others could too in subsequent weeks, despite so many for so long being so close for many years with the potential but never pushing into the perceived dangerous terrain.

I am, embarred to say, on extended vacation in the alps, but just read this amazing speach by a lead researcer at Bell Labs presented in 1986. Found it from the blog of Jelly Helm.

The speach is powerful and direct, it ultimatley looks into what makes great first class, versus good or prolific researchers.

Read it, put the word advertiser instead of researcher throughout and it will hopefully inspire you to think harder about how to make what we do better, more compelling and effective. Regardless what medium.

We must ask ourselves if we are at peak medium range of selection - are we at the point now where deciding what medium we choose is increasingly less important than what we do with any one medium we do chose?

Is the medium is no longer the message, what you do with a medium is your greatness?

January 04, 2011

An old colleague and now friend is in town. Chatting with him and his fiance, a planner, on Rue de Bretagne last night we wove around the world of new agencies and the year ahead. He is an Art Director of the rare breed who has done TV to product development to building his own online shop to making really smart social media siloed concepts. A rare trans-media creative.

He spent some time in an agency at home in UK after return from the freedom of West Coast creativity and like I was amazed at how stiffing and old school much of the agency world is in Europe. It is not that it is bad, not at all, shops are turning out great stuff. They are just having a hard time finding ways to do what we know works to predicable measures, in new ways with disproportionately successful measures, not to mention new things that never existed before. So he is currently working out of a pub in a UK city other than London starting an agency based on what he has done not a well crafted pitch document.

In the past year a lot of folks went out to start their own shop. Some famous, many less so. Sure some are riding on hot air and really just salesmanship, others now realizing how much of their success was a result of a great big agency machinery behind them and others are just quietly doing their thing. But all of them deserve credit for giving it a shot.

The volume of people giving it a shot is also indicative of a need to rethink, really rethink, not just rethink in the same way as everyone else using the same small pool of pundits, advisers and marketing celebs. The brave honorable soldiers giving it a shot are doing the rethink in many cases, not talking, but doing.

If the last decade has one legacy it is unfulfilled promises. TV didn't die but it didn't get much better - then again maybe we never needed it to be better. Social media took a lot of time but few are doing it well. Using a lazy term like 'digital' delivered confusion because it means so many things to so many people. The big dumb agencies provided in some cases not to be so dumb always but certainly big. The EU, Wall Street (except for Goldman Sachs) and even Mr. Hope himself have all in some eyes been big unfilfilled promises. We spend a lot of time talking about what was said was going to happen versus what actually happened. Lots and lots of talking.

What is clear is change is easy to talk about but hard to do. The future is always for the brave, and the brave befall more frequently than others to Darwinian fate. But we desperately need them. We must celebrate and help them.

In our world, a few things we can do may be the following to help them, and help ourselves:

1. Outlaw the terms digital, below the line, above the line, integration and any other term so generic and frequently used its has lost its meaning.

2. Know what you are really good at, and be honest about what you are not so good at - then find someone who is good at it.

3. Collaboration, as always, is necessary as more and more people are needed to do what needs to be done.

4. Greatness still comes from one or two talented minds, still, identify them, respect them, don't always coddle them but nurture them.

5. Embrace complexity, which means working with and in parallel to other agencies. No longer rely on the crutch of the client as intermediary between agencies - grow up, play nice and make something greater together than could have been done on your own.

6. More does not mean better: know the line when teams get so big you spend more time managing yourselves than solving a problem.

7. Be passionate before you are precious. Everyone is replaceable and the games of old have little tolerance.

8. If you can't actually do what you say, or know how to get someone else who can, or are not given access to them, leave.

Probably some other things too, but that's a start. Oh, and always replace the printer paper when it is running low and never be too proud to get someone a coffee, we are all going to need it this year.

December 21, 2010

Well, seems there are some more films that were rather good in 2010. Not just these ones.

Grab Some Buds (Anomoly USA)

Sometimes, you want an ad to feel like an ad. The good kind, that slowly winds you up, and rocks you out. Reaffirms what's important to you, in the summer, when you are a god damn baseball, rock music and BBQ loving American.

Human Chain (Wieden Kennedy Portland)

Again, under the category when you want a TV ad to be a TV ad. (Even though this may have never actually aired on TV.) Where Write the Future was arguably more strategic concept than an ad, this guy is a good old fashion one shot execution ad idea. An idea made for athletes, or anyone who wants to improve. Lovely. Very lovely.

Ikea Easy to Assemble (Mediaedge:cia USA)

Episodic brand content - something every brand wants but few have. It looks like nothing done before. A mix of old Saturday Night Live production values with top cult acting talent. Entertaining, absurd, and quintisentially Swedish. Brand all like to sugggest they don't take themselves too seriously, but few like Ikea do. This, is amazing, and given viewing counts many others agree too.

December 16, 2010

Moving picture with synched sound remains a rather moving medium. Thought it was time to take a moment and see what was good the past yere. Here are a few films, in no particular order, that may or may not have been on TV, the web, the back of an airline see, on your phone or some other screen.

Write the Future (Global by Wieden + Kennedy)

An obvious one for what may not be obvious reasons. One can dabate whether Nike is getting too self referential and its just a big budget bomb in the face of Adidas. But the shear magnitude of this global campaign was extraordinary, a film with excrutiating complexity and content to allow both cross media manifestations but also culture. What I loved most, being in different countries during the world cup, was seeing how each nation had their version, often linking to the very game being playing that moment.

Most technology ads, be it for a phone, website or computer convulse with laundry lists of everything they can do. Few actually make it something compelling, enjoyable, lovable and offer a deeper emotional payoff. Well done tale of a cold search algorythm.

Logitech: Robot (Goodby Silverstein + Partners)

Again, technolgoy. This time with empathy to convey a tool that offers simplicity. Gorgeous.

Levis: To Work (US: Wieden + Kennedy Portland)

Turn off the TV, tell everyone to shut up and put on some headphones. Watch this and feel something stir inside of you. You, are being moved.

I love this campaign. The film is superb emotive setting, storying telling and framing. But the bigger idea of Braddock PA is the scale of what big ideas can be. Yes, you can even spell it with capitals and say BIG IDEAS (fyi, it's cool to do that again.) The best part, this campaign is legit, a buddy who is the CD sends me shots from Braddock, it is stupendous.

Notably Absent - Old Spice

Yes, you, especially if you know me in the real world, will be surprised at the absense of Old Spice. This remains my favorite campaign but it does not deserve recognition for a couple executions this year. No, the whole body deserves being given a Nobel Prize. This film, for finding again the brand, its voice and personality deserves to be film of the decade. It made all the subsequent great Old Spice work possible (and yes, TMYMCSL is rather very good too.) Here is to bravery and creating excellent in tough circumstance.

December 12, 2010

Recently the Dawdlr site was updated. Reminded me a while back I sent a few while I was in a few different places. Sure enough, there they were.

I love the use of an old system, the mail, to connect a bunch of disconnected people who are just doing something for a bit of curiosity.

It also makes me think about how exraordinary the postal system is. While not instantaneous, it certainly has a low margin of failure. Few bouncebacks and it requires very little mental bandwidth to operate. Except for the actual creating what to post.

But, it is interesting how we have moved away from the simplicity of the system and faith in its operation (yes, because we didn't have much choise) to a mentality of trackability. Needing to know where everything is. Place an order, follow an order. Multi-step affirmations evertyghing is on track. When given a FedEx tracking number not to be. But is this distrust of the system or a need to know everything is okay driven by the neurotic gene (I know I have it.) Kind of reminds me of Homer's everything is okay alarm.

On one hand a sign we are sending ever more precious goods to ourselves or others. Alternatively a giant waste of mental capacity. In an era of trasnparency what if your tracking number only alerted you when something wasn't okay. A flight delayed, logistical mix up, or traffic the morning of 9am delivery. That would be a trust worthy system.

November 29, 2010

"I cringe with embarrassment when I reread the article my Newsweek colleague David Stone and I wrote after the 2008 election. We raved about how Obama's internet army would, as one of his tech strategists put it, "want to participate more, not less, and take part in the governing process.". We foresaw online brainstorming sessions where Netizens would generate ideas and vote them up or down in a free-flowing open-source manner. We even suggested that the very nature if democracy was changing."

"What were we smoking? In two years, the pro-Obama Netroots movement has collapsed faster than the dot com bubble."

- Daniels Lyons, Newsweek November 22, 2010

Now that the Social Media Revolution has been with us for a while, and meshed with our daily lives, one must ask a few questions. Are the marginal incremental units of changes diminishing? Does it prove our need to believe in something is insatiable? That our ability to lose interest in something inescapable?

November 17, 2010

Lift sounds interesting. Sure some great speaks and likely many neat tech ideas and insights into why they work or why we need them.

But what really excites is this line in description of its purpose:

"to explore the social implications of new technologies."

To explore the social implications of X is a good way of looking at what we do and how we could do it better. It implies an unknown, some discovery and removes the limitations of things like "media" or "channels."

Rather than burrowing down a mine shaft and asking "does this TV ad work" or is this an effective mobile application" ultimately we need to simply explore the social implications of an idea.

- Did you share it?

- Did it make me laugh?

- Did it remind me of someone who I will now call, visit, email or Friend

- Did it give me something to talk about in the car share tomorrow so Tom the blabbermouth doesn't take all the attention and I can be respected as a entertaining compatriate."

- Did it change the way I see the world, better or worse?

- Did it change the way I see myself, better or worse? Stronger or weaker? Inspired or detered?

I like how Lift is focused on the social implications of technology. When you dig into it, implications of one things have cascading implications on other things. Social implication of a new application will themselves have social implications on another "thing" it replaces or improves.

Technology often looks at itself within its own buble or technolgoy or at the expense of all things non-technological. Nice to open itself up, and allow us to be arm chair socialogists.

November 16, 2010

Went to Versailles last Friday, took the wife for the first time for the wife, third for me.

Amidst the throngs of people getting off a bus to quicky fulfil their lifetime dream of taking pictures around France, I always enjoy places like Versailles. Not for all the history and facts, I forget them quickly. For the notions born by people that form constructs we take for granted today.

Things like John Locke's treaties on property that gave us the very idea of property - something we never think of as an idea, just part of our social order. Or in the summer outside St. Andrews drove through the home of Adam Smith - he had a fair bit to do with the whole capitalism thing. Versailles is a great testament to many of the constructs that form civil government today. Plus the great displays of what a great ego can construct.

This time, I was really intrigued by the faces. Probably because there is a Murakami exhibit at the moment, which subtled encouraged me to look at things I don't normally, at Versailles or anywhere else.

This about sums it up. Spawns some thoughts about context, and one of the many unanswerable debates in advertising of the importance of aligned context. No alignment here, but it abo ut sums up how well we have progressed and matured over the past handful of hundreds of years.

Then I saw this guy, his official purpose is a little nob that hold a piece of strign keeping the elaborate curtains for blocking light. My favorite face and quality candidate as the originator of Movember.

There were many other faces. Talk about statue clutter. This was my final select because nobody was paying attention to it. Following the hall of mirrors and the King's "workbench" just off it was a little ante-room. This chap stood with dignity, wearing ony a marble cape and a nice beard.

November 15, 2010

November 13, 2010

The French, like any nation, are better at some things than others. When it comes to strikes, they are the best.

I come from the home of apathy, Douglas Couplands Generation-X was actually writen about the mood of Vancouver during my formative years and Superbad was actually based on the neighbourhood I grew up in written by a couple guys around my grade at the time but at a rival high-school.

Living in Paris, what I love is that people eagerly, regularily and loudly take to the streets. Each morning Le Parisien publishes a map of Paris where that day's "Manifestations" will be taking place. Yes, a newspaper, it's old school but it seems digital networks are somewhat but not primary in organization. Both for personal security and France is still pretty slow on the digital bandwagon. Plus, the French have an amazing cloud of knowledge perpeturally shared, a topic for another day, that for centuries has quickly and efficiently spread information around the city.

This year was a bumper crop of protests, as world news outlets did a great job over-reporting. While huge in scale, they represented the great parts of every protest, even just the annual march of the chemists union, including kids and grandmothers all wearing smart casual clothing.

What is best is the organization and livelry.

Lots of little Zeplins. La CGT is usually one of the best turned out. However, the socialists give them a run for their money:

Overall, superb art direction and must be a boon to the design industry.

One Sunday 3 million took to the streets A complete cross section from the well dressed beurocrats the he hardy miners. All, well fueled by the little support vehicles provided by various syndicates offering wine and sandwiches.

At a time, thanks to democritized information, we know about all the world's issues and problems like never before if often seems we worry a lot about the news about the news, but it is hard to tell if anything is happening. The is something so wonderful about the purity of people taking to the street for their own interest. Especially when it is an issue, like the retirement age change from 60 to 62 that is inevitable.

Now, of course it is not all peaceful and party. There is a strong relationship between the police and the protestors. One can tell instantly the nature of a protest based on the level of poplice (municiple to national to military) and the level of protection plus whether they smoking around the doorways of the route, or in full formation.

Fortunately we can alalyze from our window before deciding whether to go out or have another coffee.

At a time we spend so much time worrying and analyzing all the new ways we do stuff, it is very cool as an outsider seeing something that just works. Doesn't actually need an tinkering and an app wouldn't make it better. Even if that thing that works, is not working.

November 04, 2010

What we do is sure getting complicated. We are all plugged in digitally and supplement with physical tools.

The portability and natural mental refinery of a streamlined Moleskine has failed to keep up with a day's complexity. Much like the giant room sized war maps in WWII I am upgrading to some bigger workday real estate.

For now the branded agency note pad nicked from our London office and the dwindling supply down to one from our Chicago office. Soon to be replaced by a Rhodia A4 for road trips.

I love digital but nothing beats the always on-ed-ness of pen and paper.

September 28, 2010

September 22, 2010

Part of the transportation system. He built bridges. Big ones, really big ones, and lots of small ones. Connected people who for generates lived apart divided by the land and water.Helped out when other people's bridges fell down to understand why. Where the math and logic failed. Understood what it took for the math and logic to work logiclly for the people who used them.

He was just an engineer. Built things that helped vehicles and people move around. Pretty simple.

Going chaotically from a global masterbrand strategy meeting, to a TV film production meeting to a social media architecture session it becomes clear our industry is pretty simple. Despite all the silly titles, hierarchy, hype and pomposity, we all do one of two things.

There are engineers. The people who make the ways for ideas to get around.

There are the designers - the people who create and design the ideas that get around via the engineering.

The good ones are creative in their problem solving. The bad ones steal, repeat, are fearful and work within the system we know. True to engineers or designers.

Seems like we are all deciding whether we are engineers or designers, too many trying to do both or ignoring the existence of the other. Designers trying to engineer. Engineers trying to design. Some do spectacularly, most face spectacular failure.

Pick a side, and then it all seems to make a lot more sense. Then shake the hand of the other side and go off and make something spectacular.

September 18, 2010

Advertisng, marketing, communications or whatever else you want to call it exists for the sake of creating disproportionate gains for a brand.

Budgeting, and all those excel spread sheets kepts way down in hard drive account men and at the finger tips of a finance director are becoming a problem.

Not because they exist, of course not, they must but they are starting to control us, nefariously and quietly. On cell at a time.

I am not talking about the drive for profitability or revenue growth. No, what is concerning is how excel documents are driving strategic decisions about how we communicate.

If you marketing budget is broken out specifically against media channels - TV, print, digtial, events, promotions, you have already strategically decided your creative solutions for the year. Biases have immediately set and the creative challenge is not to solve a business challenge but to fill buckets.

If you are a bit better and have an integrated budget and can shift between mediums based on the creative strategy and ideas that emerge - you may be better. But it can easily become pigs at the trogh, the first and most aggressive get the most food. Timelines are still often driven by film and they sure have a way of canabalizing everyone else's budgets. Nobody can spend like a production company, except maybe a small special breed of Sheiks. Hence, the center of gravity of a campagn/brand will be driven who gets the budget support.

Unfortunately, this all is where the massive swath of things called digital get crowded out. Not because it is not important but because more discipline is needed to define its role. Exactly what business problem you intend to solve for that specific brand with something that comes from the land of 11's and 00's.

Digital is nimble, flexible, scalable and all the other good things. But, brands, like the folks on Wall Street invest in certainty or at least clear risk reward. The nimbleness, flexibility and scalabilty of digital makes it a bit too ambiguous. A lot too ambiguous now that we are past the "if you don't go digital you will die" era of dogma that let the first decade of digitalness to happen.

It is too easy to sit in a room and move numbers up and down on a spreadsheet that then dictate what a brands strategy will be.

The brands that are doing great things are very good at knowing how to spend their money. A clear why and not because of a corporate model with decades of legacy or a formula announced in a press release by executives.

Deep down at the bottom of many great brands, the ones we all admire, are probably some smart folks with their hands on Excel charts with discipline and good information empowering strategic decisions with budgets, not driving them.

September 11, 2010

The locations change but the ritual is the same. A paper in a location away from home on a Saturday morning to sit, have a sense of place and fodder for contemplation.

Since moving abroad initial thoughts to own a Kindle or iPad have been parked to not overlook the opportunity to get a sense of the local, and even pan continental, sense of rythme, news cycle and topics of interest. With laptops and iPhones it is easy enough, at times too easy, to consume the day with news from what I have always read.

A folder national paper under arm is also a symbol of a foreigner/expat wanting to join the society they live in. Handy, when at a remote farm in the northern tip of the Beaujolais whether other guests eye curiously those from afar until mutual dismay over a disgraced national football team unites conversation.

Often, France feels many years behind in technology, it is, but that forces deeper justification for doing something with technology. Hype and doing what everyone else is doing is of little value. The fundamentally have to be firmly grasp and that is probably a very good thing.

It also means the traditions we are familiar with, are as strong as ever. The newspaper you carry identifies your political beleif and social class. The book on the metro you interests. It is curiously nice to know a little bit about the people around you, even if you don't know them. It seems others feel the same way towards me.

August 29, 2010

Discovered an amazing sotre - vintage periodical museum, archive, shop or something. Amazing holding a news paper from 1867, single piece of paper with headlines of passion and acusation in ways no paper gets away with now.

Particularily like the old sport art direction. In particular ones linke this,from 1911. Always amazes me the details that went into everything in a time it was all so hard.

Also like this one, from a more recent time in 1973 when things became easier and so details were reflective of the mechanization behind them.

It is interesting how photography has become the dominant cover on the newstand, almost exclusively. Nobody really stands our. You have to wonder whether it is because what sells the most or what survives the over analysis in the mega media companies by professional managers. The recent Radical Britain cover of The Economist was almost great, a classic of the year but for retouching got wild.

Nonetheless in about 100 years we have landed on photography and call out article headlines the dominant form of magazine coveres. Newspapers land on the single big headlines and key photo with a few sub heads to fill in content around the bumper ads.

With e-content devices what will prove to be the dominant cover layout. The image (static or moving) that defines the piece of content. Surely not some seizure inducing flash driven tornado but hopefully a piece of great design that benefits from the brilliace of backlighting. Or some sort of CNN screen hybrid wtih tickers at the top and bottom with busy real timedness to meet our apparent ADHD content consumption needs.